The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-06-15
DAMAGE DONE BY BIRDS.
sAvANTs SAY HAWKS AND OWLS
DO LITTLE INJURY.
Result of an Interesting Investiga-
tion by the Agricultural Depart
ment-Making Hawks Useful.

tion by the Agricultural Depart
ment-Making Hawks Useful.
The ornithological division of the De-
partment of Agriculture has been en-
gagged for some time in an investigation
of the effect of the law enacted in Penn
sylvania in 1885 granting bounty of so
cents head on all hawks, owls weasels,
and minks killed within the limits of the
State. This law was enacted for the al
legged benefit of the farmers of Pennsyl-
vania, and from the time when it first
went into effect until it was repealed a
few weeks ago something like 800, 900
had been paid out under it. The
investigations of the department show
this sum is but a small fraction of the
direct and indirect cost of the law of the
State. 1t is found that there are about
fifteen species of hawks and owls in the
Eastern States. OF these only three
varieties ever feed upon poultry. Within
the past six weeks the department has
examined the contents of the stomachs of
ninety birds killed in the neighborhood
of Washington. In that of hawk was
found portion of the head of domestic
fowl which might have been the "fTal
thrown out of some farmers kitchen. In
the stomach of an owl a portion of
domestic pigeon was discovered. These
two were the only ones among the ninety
in which there was any indication of a
partiality for poultry on the part of the
hawk and owl family Nearly all of the
other stomachs examined contained from
one to five field mice, as well as a great
many insects which are naturally very
destructive to crOps
Upon this showing the department es-
Inmates that each hawk and owl is worth
S25, 900 per annum to the farmers of the
country. The estimate is based upon the
assumption that every field mouse not
caught will damage crops to the amount
of two cents year. The scientific men
of the department, who delight in fig
ures, have come to the conclusion that if
every hawk and owl killed under the
Pennsylvania county law had been al
lowed to live, the damage done by them
would have amounted, under a very lib
eral estimate, to about 81, ,S75 while the
law was in operation. On the other side
of the account book they charge up the
$50, 600 paid by the State in bounties
and $40 as the value of each bird killed,
and find that from the passage of the act
to the date of its repeal the entire cost
was So, S57, 130, besides the damage done
in the way of increased production of
the vermin, because of the depletion in
the ranks of their natural enemies.
While the State of Pennsylvania has
been trying to get rid of the hawks the
general Government has been busy de-
vising ways to make them more useful.
Negotiations have been pending for some
time between the chief orinthologist of
the Department of Agriculture and man
who has had a great deal of experience
as trainer of falcons in Europe. These
negotiations are for the purpose of secur-
ing the services of this man to train a
number of hawks for use in the rice fields
of South Carolina. The planters there
are clamoring for some method of ridding
their fields of rice birds, which play
frightful havoc with their crops every
year. 1t has been found that the pres
ence of living hawk in the air over a
field of rice will cause the immediate de-
parture of every bird in the vicinity.
Guns, drums and other implements for
creating a great noise are only partially
successful. A stuffed hawk will do well
enough for day or two, but the depre.
dators soon learn that there is little to
fear from dead enemy. 1t is therefore
proposed to try the effect of trained birds.
1t is the purpose of the department to be-
gin with a small number this year, and if
the plan proves successful to the rice
bird problem, it is likely that every rice
planter in the South will be supplied in
the near future with flock of falcons -
NeU York Sun.